global events: the grand prix teams

customer service at the speed of a formula one car

Every fortnight across 8 months each a year, a Grand Prix event is staged. Every continent is visited, from Malaysia to Monaco ; from Australia to the USA . Image is everything. Top car manufacturers display the pinnacle of engineering and design achievement In the race for the chequered flag, the prize is to pop the champagne cork on the podium. The influx of fans at Grand Prix represents a peak of trading activity unprecedented in mainstream retailing. Four days sees hectic demand for mementos from race-goers.

The merchandising teams are custodians of top brands. Vision and experience abounds. A Grand Prix driver can complete a lap in one minute and fifteen seconds. That is longer than some customers are willing to wait in a queue before making a purchase. At the pit stop a set of tyres could be changed faster than a T-shirt and cap could be sold. All that seemed available in this most demanding and harsh environment was cash registers and zip/zap card machines. A wholly inadequate solution. Until Streamline International make a discovery.

Only Epsilon seemed to have the answer for the pole position teams – Ferrari and BMW Williams. In seconds an item is scanned, the credit card authorised by Streamline with zero limit and the transaction completed. From any racetrack in the world, in any currency. StoreTrader is a manifestation of Epsilon's ‘Out-of-the-Box' philosophy. While the technology is powerful and complex, users do not need IT skill. The system is up and running in minutes. Good news for the team with 17 constructions and 17 demolitions a season.

Checkout the crowd. Fans have purchased their selection and can see more of the race. Merchandise sales are now under precision control. The field crews now run a slick operation. At headquarters, executives analyse the trading results every Monday morning following a race. The challenge is the logistics of shipping more product as the trucks are now empty on their homeward journey. New events and road shows are in plan to also include Alfa Romeo and Jaguar.

“Epsilon had a successful track record with conventional installations. We have proved that the system performs even when pushed to the limit in the toughest retail place in the world.”

Scott Eustace, Ferrari Team Leader, TSS&P